Display rack for tape cartridges

ABSTRACT

A compartmented display rack for tape cartridges which includes a transparent barrier or door through which the cartridges can be viewed. The door is suitably spaced from the tape compartments and includes a plurality of openings through which a viewer can extend his hands for removing individual tapes from the compartments for inspection but with the openings being of a size that will not permit the tapes to be passed therethrough. A conveyor is disposed at the bottom of the rack between the barrier and the compartments so that any cartridge selected for purchase can be deposited on the conveyor which delivers the same to a point of deposit under the control of the store management.

United States Patent Tyler Feb. 22, 1972 [54] DllSPLAY RACK FOR TAPE C ARTRHDGES Primary Examiner.lames C. Mitchell Attorney-Morton S. Adler [72] inventor: Henry W. Tyler, 7112 Wilshire Blvd, Des

Moines, Iowa 50322 [57] ABSTRACT Filedi J 23, 1970 A compartmented display rack for tape cartridges which includes a transparent barrier or door through which the car- [211 Appl' 58331 tridges can be viewed. The door is suitably spaced from the tape compartments and includes a plurality of openings [52] us. Cl ...312/117, 312/223 r g hi a i r can xt nd-h han s f r removing in- [51] int. Cl. ..A47l 3/00 dividual tapes from the compartments for inspection but with [581 Field of Search ..3 12/1 17, ,234, 234.4, 134, 223 the Openings being of a Size that will not Permit the tapes to be passed therethrough. A conveyor is disposed at the bottom of [56] Regerems m the rack between the barrier and the compartments so that a any cartridge selected for purchase can be deposited on the UNITED STATES PATENTS conveyor which delivers the same to a point of deposit under the control of the store management. 3,475,070 10/1969 l-loshall ....3l2/234 X 3,476,265 11/1969 Powers ..3 12/223 X 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEBZZ I972 3.644.009

SHEET 1 [IF 2 INVf/YTOR HENRY VV. TYLEP BY W ATTOR/YEX PAIENTEnFEB22 1912 3,644,009

/Nl E/VTOF HENRY 144 TYL 5/? DISPLAY RACK FORTAPE CARTRIDGES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improvements in display racks for tape cartridges and more particularly to a rack of this type which while permitting the cartridges to be handled and inspected, does not permit their removal but does provide a conveyor upon which a selected cartridge can be deposited for delivery to a store checkout counter or other point of deposit under the control of the store management.

The tape cartridge containing various. musical renditions has become an extremely popular item for'sale and in line with the current trend of self-serving sales outlets, such cartridges are frequently displayed in various types of open display racks. As a result of such open display arrangements, thefts of such cartridges have been observed to be on the increase with the resulting need by store owners to deviseways-and means of meeting the problem. One proposedsolution has been to increase sales personnel for more effective surveillance of the goods but this materially adds to overhead expense that the self-service program was intended to reduce. In some instances, stores have resorted to keeping tape cartridges and other items in locked cases and while this reduces the theft aspect, it has the disadvantage that tape cartridges in locked cases cannot be handled and inspected. It has been observed that customers of this particular product'prefer to examine the informational data on the cartridges as to the artist and selections which are on the tape and in the absence of such an opportunity to inspect and browse, experience has shown that the overall sales are not as great as if the opportunity to inspcct were present. In addition, if items of this type are contained in locked cases, it is necessary to have sufficient sales personnel to give personal attention to individual customers for unlocking and locking respective cases and such procedure appears to have an adverse reaction on the purchasing public.

The present invention has been designed to overcome the problem of thefts and at the same time to afford the customer the opportunity to browse, handle and inspect the merchandise. In this regard, one of the important objects of the present invention is to provide a compartmented display rack in which the merchandise is visibly displayed and can be suitably handled and inspected but not removed from the case.

A further object of this invention is to provide a display rack of the above class which includes a conveyor means upon which a customer can deposit any cartridge or cartridges selected for purchase and such selected cartridges will be delivered to a checkout counter or other point of deposit under the control of the store management.

The present invention thus serves to eliminate or minimize the possibility of theft of merchandise and at the same time permits the customer to browse at his leisure and to handle and inspect merchandise as he chooses. This invention also eliminates the need and requirement for a large sales force for giving the customer individual attention and any item which the customer selects for purchase can be automatically delivered to a checkout counter where the same can be obtained by the customer and paid for.

SUMMARY This display rack contemplates the use of a vertically disposed compartmented case having a plurality of rows ofindividual compartments similar to the style and arrangement of post office boxes. The case is of sufficient depth so that approximately lO inches in front of the compartments there is provided a transparent door of plexiglass or the like that includes a plurality of openings sufficient for a customer to extend his hand through in order to remove any desired cartridge from a particular compartment and to inspect and examine the same in the area between the barrier glass and the compartments. The size of the openings in the barrier is such that the tapes cannot be removed from the inspection area. Operating between the barrier glass and the compartments at the bottom of the rack is a conveyor means upon which the customer can deposit any cartridge selected for purchase with such conveyor designed to deliver the cartridge to a checkout counter or to any other suitable point of deposit such as a locked box or the like which will be under the supervision and control of the store management.

The barrier door is hingedly affixed to the case so that it can be opened for purposes of replenishing the tape supply as needed. The display rack is preferably made in predetermined fixed unit sizes and a plurality of such units can be suitably arranged either for use individually or as a continuous enlarged display area, in the latter case for which the conveyor system will extend throughout all the aligned racks.

The objects of this invention together with details of the operation outlined and the advantages of the same will be more fully described and developed in relation to the more detailed description of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodi ment of this invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view to more clearly illustrate the transparent barrier door,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of'one of the openings in the transparent barrier door illustrating the relative size of a tape cartridge to show that it will not pass through the opening in the barrier, and

FIG. 5 is a reduced elevational view showing a plurality of racks assembled into an extended display unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, this new display rack is designated generally by the numeral 10 as best seen in FIG. I and comprises an upright boxlike case having a top 12, a bottom 14, a back 16 and the respective sides [8 and 20. While the specific size of rack I0 may be varied as desired, l have preferably made it approximately 6-feet high, S-feet wide and 15 inches deep. The major area of the front of this rack is enclosed by a transparent barrier or door for which I have preferably used plexiglass mounted in a suitable frame 24 and hingedly mounted as at 26 to the forward edge of the top 12. The bottom of door 22 extends to the top portion of a front baseboard 28 that is approximately 12 inches high and extends between sides 18 and 20 to form a lower compartment or chamber 30 as best seen in FIG. 3. In the closed position of door 22 as seen in FIG. I and the solid lines of FIG. 2, a suitable lock means 32 is provided forlocking engagement with baseboard 28. Door 22 is also provided with a suitable eye hook or the like 34 for purposes that will later appear.

Within the rack 10 and on the back member 16 there is arranged a plurality of vertical and horizontal spaced partition members to provide the plurality of rows of individual compartments 36 which can be fabricated in any suitable manner to provide a storage arrangement in the form and style of post office boxes as is well known. Compartments 36 are designed to hold merchandise for sale preferably in the form of tape cartridges 38 having musical renditions thereon or other information of a saleable commodity. For this purpose compartments 36 are approximately 4% inches by 5 inches andthe tape cartridges are generally of uniform size of approximately 4 inches by 5 and inches and l inch thick so that with a cartridge 38 placed in one of the compartments 36, it will slightly protrude therefrom as best seen in FIG. 3. The bottom row of compartments 36 will terminate at approximately the plane of the top of baseboard 28 and it will be understood that the dimensions given for such compartments are only for illustration since the size thereof can be varied for use with merchandise of different sizes and shapes than cartridges 38.

With the depth of this case being approximately 15 inches as indicated above, it will be appreciated that there will be an area 40 of substantially IO inches intermediate the barrier door 22 and the compartments 36 and with door 22 normally locked, access to cartridges 38 is made available to a customer by providing door 22 with a plurality of spaced rows of spaced openings 42. The size of such openings is such as will permit a customer to extend his hand therethrough and the location of such openings as best seen in FIG. 2 is such that when ones hand is extended through any selected opening, he will have easy access to at least four of the compartments 36. By this arrangement, a customer can easily withdraw one of the cartridges 38 into the examination area 40 where the same can be handled and inspected through the transparent barrier 22. In this regard, it will be understood that a customer can extend both hands through separate openings to facilitate the handling of the cartridges and the inspection of the same. The size of such openings as seen in FIG. 4 is such that none of the tapes 38 can be withdrawn from area 40.

In the lower compartment 30 or rack 10, there is suitably mounted an appropriate conveyor apparatus 44 of any wellknown type and which I have represented here in the form of an endless belt conveyor. Such conveyor extends across the bottom of rack beneath area 40 and terminates exteriorly of one side of rack 10 at a suitable point of deposit designated generally by the numeral 46. It is intended that conveyor 40 be in continuous operation during the time period when the store is open and rack 10 is available for customer inspections. Thus at any time any cartridge or cartridges are selected for purchase, the customer merely deposits or drops the same onto conveyor 44 where whey will automatically be carried to point 46.

The deposit point 46 is designed to be under the control of the store management and thus may be in several forms or arrangements as may be desired. In FIG. 1, for example, the deposit point 46 is represented by a box-type container 48 and this as will be appreciated, can be suitably locked or otherwise located where customer access is not available. In addition, the deposit point 46 for conveyor 44 may be oriented relative to a store checkout counter where any selected cartridge deposited or dropped onto the conveyor by the customer will be delivered to a checkout clerk or station for the customer to pick up and pay for.

Attached to the inside of top 12 so as to extend across the rack 10, l have preferably placed a lighting fixture 50 that suitably illuminates the interior of the case and is not visible from the outside because of the frame portion 24 on the door 22. A suitable electric cord and plug 52 connected to light 50 is provided for obvious reasons.

It will of course be necessary from time to time to replenish the supply of cartridges 38 in the compartments 36 and this will be accomplished by the unlocking and opening of door 22. Since such door will be of relatively substantial weight, I have provided the hook 34 whereby door 22 can be elevated and appropriately held in such elevated position by engaging hook 34 with any suitable fastening device that can be secured to or suspended from the ceiling area at the point of case 10.

In FIG. 5, I have illustrated an arrangement of a battery of racks 10 for use when an enlarged display capacity is desired and when this is done, conveyor 44 is in a suitable form to extend through all of such aligned racks for delivery of cartridges to the single point of deposit 46.

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that rack I0 affords a most suitable means for displaying merchandise from its point of display. As a result, so far as those customers are concerned who might be inclined to pilfer goods, the present invention removes such goods from this possibility. At the same time the customer can, without the help or assistance of any sales personnel, merely deposit any item selected for purchase on the conveyor 44 where such items will be automatically carried to the normal checkout station. This has a further advantage in that the customer who may wish to select different items from different areas does not have to carry tape cartridges about while doing his other shopping or browsing and whenever he desires to leave the store, the cartridges selected are available at the checkout counter for him to pick up and pay for.

Accordingly, from all of the foregoing it is thought that a full understanding of the construction and operation ofthis invention will be had and its advantages appreciated.

I claim:

1. A merchandise display rack, comprising:

a display rack having a closed top, bottom, back, sides and an open front,

means within said rack to support merchandise for display,

a transparent barrier mounted to the front of said rack,

said barrier being provided with an opening through which a person can extend a hand to grasp an article of merchandise to view and inspect through said barrier but with said opening being of a size related to the merchandise displayed through which the merchandise is incapable of passing a conveyor encased within said rack and disposed at the front thereof adjacent said barrier on a plane below the merchandise-supporting means so that an article of merchandise being inspected and incapable of being withdrawn through said opening can be deposited on said conveyor,

said conveyor adapted for continuous operation during the normal use of said display rack to deliver merchandise deposited thereon to a point of deposit exteriorally of said rack, and

means cooperating with said point of deposit to limit access thereto to preselected persons exclusive of those depositing merchandise on said conveyor.

2. A device as defined in claim I wherein said barrier is a hingedly mounted lockable door.

3. A merchandise display rack, comprising:

a display rack having a closed top, bottom, back, sides and an open front,

a plurality of spaced vertical and horizontal partitions within said rack and on said back to provide a plurality of rows of merchandise receiving compartments,

a transparent barrier mounted to the front of said rack,

said front being spaced sufficiently from said back and said compartments to provide an unobstructed merchandise examination and inspection area,

said barrier being provided with a plurality of rows of spaced openings through each of which a person can selectively extend a hand to grasp an article of merchandise from any one of a plurality of compartments for removing it from a respective compartment to said examination and inspection area where it can be viewed and inspected through said barrier,

said openings being of a size related to the merchandise displayed through which the merchandise is incapable of passing,

a conveyor encased within said rack and disposed at the front thereof adjacent said barrier on a plane below the merchandise-supporting means so that an article of merchandise being inspected and incapable of being withdrawn through said opening can be deposited on said conveyor,

said conveyor adapted for continuous operation during the normal use of said display rack to deliver merchandise deposited thereon to a point of deposit exteriorally of said rack, and

means cooperating with said point of deposit to limit access thereto to preselected persons exclusive of those depositing merchandise on said conveyor.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said barrier is a hingedly mounted lockable door. 

1. A merchandise display rack, comprising: a display rack having a closed top, bottom, back, sides and an open front, means within said rack to support merchandise for display, a transparent barrier mounted to the front of said rack, said barrier being provided with an opening through which a person can extend a hand to grasp an article of merchandise to view and inspect through said barrier but with said opening being of a size related to the merchandise displayed through which the merchandise is incapable of passing a conveyor encased within said rack and disposed at the front thereof adjacent said barrier on a plane below the merchandisesupporting means so that an article of merchandise being inspected and incapable of being withdrawn through said opening can be deposited on said conveyor, said conveyor adapted for continuous operation during the normal use of said display rack to deliver merchandise deposited thereon to a point of deposit exteriorally of said rack, and means cooperating with said point of deposit to limit access thereto to preselected persons exclusive of those depositing merchandise on said conveyor.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said barrier is a hingedly mounted lockable door.
 3. A merchandise display rack, comprising: a display rack having a closed top, bottom, back, sides and an open front, a plurality of spaced vertical and horizontal partitions within said rack and on said back to provide a plurality of rows of merchandise receiving compartments, a transparent barrier mounted to the front of said rack, said front being spaced sufficiently from said back and said compartments to provide an unobstructed merchandise examination and inspection area, said barrier being provided with a plurality of rows of spaced openings through each of which a person can selectively extend a hand to grasp an article of merchandise from any one of a plurality of compartments for removing it from a respective compartment to said examination and inspection area where it can be viewed and inspected through said barrier, said openings being of a size related to the merchandise displayed through which the merchandise is incapable of passing, a conveyor encased within said rack and disposed at the front thereof adjacent said barrier on a plane below the merchandise-supporting means so that an article of merchandise being inspected and incapable of being withdrawn through said opening can be deposited on said conveyor, said conveyor adapted for continuous operation during the normal use of said display rack to deliver merchandise deposited thereon to a point of deposit exteriorally of said rack, and means cooperating with said point of deposit to limit access thereto to preselected persons exclusive of those depositing merchandise on said conveyor.
 4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said barrier is a hingedly mounted lockable door. 